Well-being and hope for dementia patients, caregivers

Mayo Clinic Q&A

November is Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness of the disease while recognizing the important work that caregivers do when caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's or dementia.

Approximately 5.8 million people in the U.S. age 65 and older live with Alzheimer's disease. Of those, 80% are 75 and older. Of the approximately 50 million people worldwide with dementia, between 60% and 70% are estimated to have Alzheimer's disease.

For those living with Alzheimer's and their caregivers, common questions include:

• When it comes to memory, what is typical aging?
• What is the difference between Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia?
• How can you keep your brain healthy?

On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Jonathan Graff-Radford, a behavioral neurologist at Mayo Clinic, and Angela Lunde, an investigator in Mayo Clinic's Alzheimer's Disease Research Center — both co-authors of the second edition of "Mayo Clinic on Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias: A Guide for People With Dementia and Those Who Care for Them" — share stories of those living with dementia and offer practical advice for caregivers.